Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Raghav Bikhchandani & Yash Budhwar
North vs South: India’s real population problem
As we saw in part one, the ‘one Indian, one vote’ principle has created a looming democratic crisis for one simple reason: There are far more Indians in North India than South India. Hence, the long-delayed 2021 census—which will lead to a reallocation of Parliament seats based on current population numbers—will trigger a North vs South war not seen since the early days of independence. So what’s a well-meaning democracy to do? We look at some of the proposed solutions.
Read part two of our Big Story here.
Donald 2.0: The chaos, continued
Less than 24 hours into his second term, the Donald 2.0 is already spreading chaos—exactly as promised.
WHO who? He signed an executive order pulling the US out of the World Health Organisation (WHO)—claiming that the UN organisation “ripped off” the US, and is busy kowtowing to Beijing:
We paid $500 million to the World Health [Organisation] when I was here, and I terminated it. China, with 1.4 billion people, was paying $39 million. We have around 325 million people, and it seemed a little unfair to me.
Yup, this is a bit of a deja vu moment—since Trump walked out of WHO in his first term, as well. It’s still a nasty blow to the WHO. The US is its biggest donor—contributing $1.284 billion in FY2023. It was also the founding member back in 1948. The really bad news: No one is likely to step up to take the slack. (The Telegraph)
Interesting to note: Just as Donald Trump walked out of the Paris Treaty, the rest of the world recommitted itself to fighting climate change over at Davos.
H1-B trauma: The other big Trump move: taking away the automatic citizenship granted to babies born in the US—even if they have parents who are in the country on a temporary visa. Kinda like H1-B workers. Kids will only be eligible if at least one parent is a US citizen, green card holder or a member of the US military. This is a disaster for Indians waiting in the very long queue for a green card—a wait that can last 195 years. Until now, at least their kids had a shot at citizenship (see: our Big Story for more on the H1-B visa quagmire).
The silver lining: 24 Democratic-led states and cities are challenging the move in court—declaring it unconstitutional. They claim it violates the 14th Amendment—which gives a constitutional right of citizenship to all children born in the United States. CNN has that story.
Also being sued: Trump’s infamous cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—which is already facing three lawsuits. The reason:
… DOGE violates federal law because of its structure and secrecy. “DOGE is operating unchecked, without authorization or funding from Congress and is led by unelected billionaires who are not representative of ordinary Americans,” said Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
On a separate DOGE note: Hamara Vivek Ramaswamy—slated to co-helm the department with Elon Musk—has mysteriously quit. A must read: Vox on why the tech ‘broligarchs’ are cosying up to Donald—and why we should be afraid.
Something to see: This excellent photo of the First Couple:
Heartbreaking deaths of Olive Ridley sea turtles
Over the past two weeks, endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles have been dying in the hundreds—their bodies washed up on the shores off Chennai. Now, dead turtles are not in themselves unusual. But this year, that number has crossed 400—the highest since 2014.
The reason: Fishing nets. The turtles travel thousands of miles to India’s southeast coast to lay eggs—but become victims of the fishing industry. The number of nests have dramatically declined, as well. FYI: Only one in 500 Olive Ridley hatchlings makes it to adulthood on average.
Point to note: There are solutions to this problem—and laws that require adopting them. But the fishing industry couldn’t care less:
A local government order was also implemented in 2016 to stop trawl boats from casting giant nets that sweep up everything on the ocean floor from getting within five nautical miles of the coastline during turtle nesting season. The law also mandates devices known as turtle excluder devices, that can help turtles escape nets…when the trawlers catch turtles, they are unable to surface for air at regular intervals. And the devices that help turtles escape aren’t used, because they reduce fishers’ catch.
On a related note: We recommend reading this Big Story on development plans for the Andamans—that threaten its endangered ecosystems. (Associated Press)
India’s staggering breast cancer numbers
The big picture: In 2022, India recorded 98,337 deaths from breast cancer—the highest in the world. Our mortality rate for breast cancer is a staggering 51%—way above the global rate of 29%. FYI: We add 48,000 new cases each year.
What we know now: New research points at an underlying reason for these catastrophic numbers: The high cost of cancer treatment. It can cost more than Rs 416,000 for private patients and Rs 219,000 for subsidised patients at a government-funded hospital like Tata Memorial in Mumbai. The main takeaway:
The findings reveal that a large majority of breast cancer patients in India face catastrophic health expenditure, with rural, poor, and agricultural households bearing the brunt of the financial strain.
More importantly this: Researchers say the mortality rate is high because of “late stage of disease at presentation, delayed initiation of definitive management and inadequate/fragmented treatment.” Let’s translate that for you. Women do not receive treatment in time. Their treatment is often interrupted, incomplete or ineffective. About 14% of breast cancer patients discontinue treatment, and only 9% have health insurance to help with expenses. (The Telegraph)
Yes, peeing is very contagious!
Forget yawning. Peeing is just as contagious—according to a new Japanese study of chimpanzees. The big conclusion: “the nearer a chimp was to the initial urinator, the more likely it was to join the party.” Also, beta chimps are more susceptible to “contagious urination”—which “flows down” from dominant chimps to more passive ones.
The best quote to note is actually about humans—who are just as prone to peeing peer pressure:
“In humans, urinating together can be seen as a social phenomenon,” said coauthor Ena Onishi of Kyoto University. “An Italian proverb states, ‘Whoever doesn’t pee in company is either a thief or a spy’ (Chi non piscia in compagnia o è un ladro o è una spia), while in Japanese, the act of urinating with others is referred to as 'Tsureshon' (連れション). This behavior is represented in art across centuries and cultures and continues to appear in modern social contexts.
It is supposed to have “deep evolutionary roots”—but no one knows exactly why. (Ars Technica)
what caught our eye
business & tech
- New York Times (splainer gift link) decodes India’s stalling growth rate.
- Meta recently decided to sack its factcheckers—and rely on community notes. Turns out this is only true in the US, not overseas or in India. In other words, only Trump won’t be fact checked by Meta.
- A hooray for TikTok—Trump signed an executive order which suspended the looming ban for 75 days.
- But but but, in anticipation of a TikTok shutdown, Bluesky and X have released video feeds on their respective apps.
- Netflix gained a record 19 million subscribers in Q4, reporting $10.2 billion in revenue (a 16% increase from last year) and $2.3 billion in operating income. However, this is the last time they will report subscriber numbers—focusing on engagement instead.
- Top three most-valued brands in the world continue to be Apple, Microsoft and Google. Not in the top ten: Tesla, whose value dropped by $15 billion in 2024 to $43 billion.
sports & entertainment
- Veteran filmmaker Hansal Mehta has launched his own production company True Story Films—with plans to produce movies and OTT content.
- ‘The Brutalist’ editor is facing criticism for using AI to write dialogues and add fake buildings to scenes—especially since it is up for an Oscar. The Guardian has a big picture read on the subject.
- Vaishnavi Sharma’s stunning 5 for 5, including a hat-trick on debut, powered India to a 10-wicket win over Malaysia in the Women’s U-19 T20 World Cup.
health & environment
- Moderna has launched a Phase III trial for a vaccine against norovirus, a common cause of food poisoning.
- A study reveals COVID infections increase the risk of chronic fatigue syndrome by 7.5X—six months after being infected.
- Sleep helps ‘wash’ waste out of our brain–but not if we take sleeping pills.
as for the rest
- Back to square one—Hamas continues to control whatever remains of Gaza, distributing aid under its governance.
- Right on the heels of the Gaza ceasefire, Israel seems to have unofficially declared war on the occupied West Bank. Well, even soldiers need something to do.
- Migrants have been left in despair at the US border as its asylum system shuts down.
- The Calcutta High Court allowed the Bengal government to appeal for the death penalty in the RG Kar Hospital doctor's rape and murder case,
- The BJP’s Delhi election manifesto promises free education from KG to PG and Rs 15,000 in financial aid for competitive exam preparation.
- New Zealand corrects Trump’s claim that the US split the atom, highlighting that Sir Ernest Rutherford, a New Zealander, achieved the historic feat in 1917.
- Indian Express has a good read on how Kolkata's ‘boi mela,’ India's oldest book fair, has grown significantly since its 1918 inception.
- A ski resort fire in northwestern Turkey has killed at least 76 people and injured 51 more.
- Rishi Sunak will take up part-time gigs at Stanford and Oxford—sparking rumours that he plans to quit his MP job. Denials have been issued.
One delightful thing to see
ICYMI, this 40-minute short titled ‘Bata Boy and Crocs Girl’—written and directed by comedian Nirmal Pillai—is a fun look at Gen Z relationships—aka situationships—in namma Bengaluru. You can watch the entire film here on YouTube. Also: The Hindu interviewed Pillai if you need more.
feel good place
One: Before there was AI, there was Milly Bampini.
Two: Age is just a number: Doggie edition.
Three: Screw yoga, this is how ‘real’ dogs train!
